Spy Journal 3.0 - nishttps://www.spyjournal.biz/taxonomy/term/307/all
national innovation system reviewenPing.fm Friend Feed and Profilactichttps://www.spyjournal.biz/pingfm-friend-feed-and-profilactic
<p> I’ve been wanting to write an article for some time now about how the social (web 2.0) web works, and why there are so many different sites out there. specifically I wanted to explain the use of sites like <a href="http://friendfeed.com/">FriendFeed</a>, <a href="http://www.profilactic.com/index.jsp">Profilactic</a> and <a href="http://ping.fm/">Ping.fm</a></p>
<p>I have built a small diagram that hopefully illustrates a small portion of this. It is not comprehensive, though it is accurate in the detail it does show.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.spyjournal.biz/files/pingexplained600.jpg"><img title="ping explained-600" height="432" alt="ping explained-600" src="http://www.spyjournal.biz/files/pingexplained600_thumb.jpg" width="596" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>The missing stuff includes a dotted line back from any of the sites in the 2nd or 3rd columns back to the first column.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Let me explain the circle of internet life and how Ping.fm, Profilactic and Friend Feed play a part.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.spyjournal.biz/files/contentcycle.jpg"><img title="content cycle" height="509" alt="content cycle" src="http://www.spyjournal.biz/files/contentcycle_thumb.jpg" width="596" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://www.spyjournal.biz/files/create.jpg"><img title="create" height="87" alt="create" src="http://www.spyjournal.biz/files/create_thumb.jpg" width="131" align="left" border="0" /></a> You – the user – create content. This can be in the form of blog posts, comments on blog posts – yours or others, twitter microbloging, facebook status, what I’m listening to with MSN, Photos and videos that you upload to Flickr, YouTube or your blog etc. You update your work status on LinkedIn and join forums and debate or discuss things that interest you with others. You can use Ping.FM to send the same status message or microblog to all or any of the sites you are a member of.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.spyjournal.biz/files/consolidate.jpg"><img title="consolidate" height="93" alt="consolidate" src="http://www.spyjournal.biz/files/consolidate_thumb.jpg" width="133" align="left" border="0" /></a> Applications like RSS Feed Readers (Google reader, RSS Bandit etc) along with sites like Profilactic and FriendFeed consolidate this content. You can create life streams for yourself, or for others that you follow. Even if you don’t do this you need to realise that others are. Your family members maybe watching and following your internet presence, not in a creepy big brother way, but in a sharing caring way – because they want to know what you think say or do. This especially applies to friends nd families who are widespread. I find that most people’s facebook accounts are filled with friends who are</p>
<p><a href="http://www.spyjournal.biz/files/consume.jpg"><img title="consume" height="91" alt="consume" src="http://www.spyjournal.biz/files/consume_thumb.jpg" width="133" align="left" border="0" /></a> As an internet user you consume content. You read blogs, view Facebook pages, interact with your friends on MySpace and MSN, read news articles, follow the football and read political debates in forums and comments on blogs. You look at friends and family pictures in Picasa Albums and watch videos on YouTube. In short you consume a lot of content. Some of this is done easily (using RSS Readers for example) and applications like Facebook make it easy to find out what all your friends have been up to with the status notifications feature. Other stuff is found the good old fashioned way using search. See that section for more details here.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.spyjournal.biz/files/share.jpg"><img title="share" height="91" alt="share" src="http://www.spyjournal.biz/files/share_thumb.jpg" width="133" align="left" border="0" /></a> </p>
<p>Sharing is a little more complex to explain as there are so many ways to do it. However the basic concept can be summed up with the question “Have you ever sent an email to someone with a web link in it?” This is sharing. You have effectively acted in the best interest of your friend and forwarded something you thought they may be interested in. Sharing is just that. Taking information that you think is important and relaying it. Digg, Delicious and StumbleUpon are all services designed to help you make that easy to to do, and not just for your friends that you can email – but to anyone. SocialMedian is a news compilation service that can be used to pull specific news items from the web and tailor them into a feed that can be consumed by you or others. Sharing can be done by sending links in Facebook, MSN or email, or by writing a blog article. This article is just that – me sharing what I know about this to you.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.spyjournal.biz/files/search.jpg"><img title="search" height="93" alt="search" src="http://www.spyjournal.biz/files/search_thumb.jpg" width="133" align="left" border="0" /></a> </p>
<p>We are nearly completing the circle. Part of the consume process is searching, but it is important enough to warrant its own item. Plus I needed to put 5 things into the little diagram! Searching is important because this is how your circle of knowledge and information expands. You might be sent a link to a news article or find something out, and that may open a whole new world up to you. Searching for additional information brings you to pages of information you never knew existed. You are able to&#160; find out something new.</p>
<p>And this helps close the loop int he cycle, because you now have the opportunity to educate or inform your friends, acquaintances and completely random fellow net citizens by sharing the information&#160; you just learned. Maybe by even writing a whole article about the research you just did, or maybe just sending a one line tweet about it. but by doing so you start the whole cycle again.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>As a footnote – this article can be considered as a lead into the question “How do we leverage internal knowledge in an organisation?” The process described above can be managed as business process within an organisation. The difficulty is in creating a culture of sharing and openness.</p>
https://www.spyjournal.biz/pingfm-friend-feed-and-profilactic#commentsnissocialWeb 2.0https://www.spyjournal.biz/crss/node/927Mon, 06 Oct 2008 11:19:16 +0000jethro927 at https://www.spyjournal.bizEnterprise 2.0https://www.spyjournal.biz/enterprise-20
<p>So what is it? Why do you need to keep reading this? Well you probably don’t, unless you work in an organisation with internet access and more than one person there. Well that’s most if us!</p>
<p>Did that get your attention?</p>
<p>How about this?</p>
<p>Has Facebook, MySpace, YouTube or Google videos been banned in your workplace? What about instant messaging or Skype?</p>
<p> I want to talk a little about why this has happened, and for the wrong reasons, and also how it will change in the very near future.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.spyjournal.biz/files/image_77.png"><img title="image" height="131" alt="image" src="http://www.spyjournal.biz/files/image_thumb_80.png" width="240" align="left" border="0" /></a> Organisations have been very jealous of their employees time (and they have a legitimate right to require their workers to be focussed on work not their social lives while in their employ. IT managers and CIO’s have seen applications like Facebook and messenger to be purely time wasting social applications with no business use. That is starting to change.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Lets start with what Web 2.0 is and work our way up to Enterprise 2.0.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>The concept of Web 2.0 is very simple. According to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0">Wikipedia, Web 2.0</a> is a term that “encapsulates the idea of the proliferation of interconnectivity and interactivity of web-delivered content.” What the! Ok a more normal explanation is web content that is not just informative (Web 1.0), but interactive.</p>
<p>So sites like Facebook are Web 2.0, because there is a multi-user, multi-application , multi-media interface that allows interaction between participants and can leverage that to create great interconnected content.</p>
<p>So how does knowing that change my world while I am at work, especially when Facebook is banned?</p>
<p>Good question. The answer lies in the knowledge inside your head. As a worker, you have information and knowledge, access to material and data that makes you useful. To the organisation as a whole, and also laterally to other workers with the same job or requirements for information as you. The concept of benchmarking is not new, but in a corporate sense usually applies to think tank brainiacs or the corporation as a whole, and is generally seen as an overseas junket for the few privileged to go on!</p>
<p>The internet changes everything. As businesses start to become more connected, their workers in particular also get more connected. Email address lists start to grow. Many knowledge workers spend many hours per day using email. 23% of my time on the computer is in Outlook. I have tracking software in place that tells me that. Much of this information that is being emailed is one dimensional, badly sorted and indexed and often duplicated many times. The wasted effort is huge. As organisations start to realise the untapped resource of workers email folders they will start looking for ways to leverage it.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.spyjournal.biz/files/clip_image0017.png"><img title="clip_image001[7]" height="178" alt="clip_image001[7]" src="http://www.spyjournal.biz/files/clip_image0017_thumb.png" width="244" align="right" border="0" /></a>Dion Hinchcliffe talks about <a href="http://blogs.zdnet.com/Hinchcliffe/?p=66">Finding Web 2.0</a> and says this:</p>
<blockquote><p>“Sometimes dubbed &quot;Web 2.0&quot;, this new, more refined model for creating online software reflected an improved understanding in the way that large networks can provide their full value.&#160; Specifically it reflected how to make use of them when a lot of users can actively contribute to them, directly or indirectly. This left the linear concept of Web traffic behind forever…”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Enter Enterprise 2.0. The entry point for most organisations is with email simply because it is such a huge and easy target. Applications like <a href="http://www.xobni.com/">Xobni</a> give power back to the individual but still don’t help the corporation. <a href="http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepointserver/FX100492001033.aspx">Sharepoint</a> is a major step forward because it can not only allow email to be managed in a database it also has the ability to turn the one dimensional network folders containing users files into multidimensional relational databases. Search functions now actually work and suddenly the version control features start to reduce the wasted time with emailing files around. Wikis and conversations about files and projects can be tracked and managed better. As enterprises start to value data for its intrinsic value and not just for its sheer volume the path to Enterprise 2.0 awakening starts to shimmer more brightly.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.spyjournal.biz/files/clip_image0015.png"><img title="clip_image001[5]" height="205" alt="clip_image001[5]" src="http://www.spyjournal.biz/files/clip_image0015_thumb.png" width="244" align="right" border="0" /></a>Some pictures can help here. <a href="http://innovationcreators.com/wp/?p=231">Rod Boothby’s Enterprise 2.0 Communication Continuum</a> was modified by <a href="http://blogs.zdnet.com/Hinchcliffe/?p=64">Dion Hinchcliffe in his article about Enterprise 2.0</a>. The concept of leveragability of the “conversations” that are held by staff in an organisation is the whole key to Enterprise 2.0. Without a perceived benefit to an organisation there is no need to use blogs, wikis, instant messaging, search tools or even email. It is the ability for an organisation to increase productivity, retain knowledge and leverage the untapped resources that will force businesses to adopt Enterprise 2.0 in some format.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Here are some excerpts from an internal research document a local government agency produced recently about the requirement to better manage their internal knowledge:</p>
<ul>
<li>The existing network storage system is clumsy and does not provide metadata about files </li>
<li>We need to identify and foster subject matter experts, and knowledge champions </li>
<li>We need to define a taxonomy by which to tag information and files with metadata </li>
<li>We need to foster a knowledge sharing culture </li>
<li>IS systems need to be aligned with and measured against the KM requirements of the business </li>
<li>Additional KPI type measurements such as response time to customer requests need to be captured </li>
<li>Employee learning must be actively encouraged and shown to be contributing to the organisation </li>
</ul>
<p>These “pain points” are all great starters to help an organisation to start to see the value of Enterprise 2.0 As they stat to look for ways to address these issues, all the signs point to software that is web 2.0 based or similar. Applications like SharePoint, Instant messaging, Twitter, and the sundry services that surround them.</p>
<p>I have helped several organisations down this path toward Enterprise 2.0</p>
<ul>
<li>Accepting the value of the data in their business and looking for ways to leverage it </li>
<li>Accepting the usefulness of workers viral networks – both internal and external to the organisation and facilitating use of those networks. </li>
<li>Recognising that social networks can contain invitations and introductions to other people or businesses that can add value to the corporate. Hiding them from workers is counter productive.</li>
<li>Teaching employees to trust the organisation and allow mutual trust to develop – some form of privacy of personal data and connections while allowing interactions that can gain a benefit to the organisation. </li>
</ul>
<p>The ongoing challenge for Australian businesses, and indeed business the world over, is to identify for themselves the place that “social software” has in their business as a tool for leveraging the powerful hidden data that resides in networks, non indexed email and IM messages, and to build and foster an environment that encourages their staff to value, add-to and share corporate knowledge.</p>
https://www.spyjournal.biz/enterprise-20#commentsnissocialventurousWeb 2.0https://www.spyjournal.biz/crss/node/926Mon, 06 Oct 2008 02:21:12 +0000jethro926 at https://www.spyjournal.bizTwitter and critical masshttps://www.spyjournal.biz/twitter-and-critical-mass
<p>What place does twitter have in a corporate environment? Social networking sites such as facebook is largely banned in corporate workplaces, especially government departments. Most of these places also feel threatened by the idea of instant messaging and suspect that their workers become less productive as a result. And maybe they are right in some circumstances.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.spyjournal.biz/files/twitterlogo.jpg"><img title="twitter-logo" height="128" alt="twitter-logo" src="http://www.spyjournal.biz/files/twitterlogo_thumb.jpg" width="128" align="right" border="0" /></a> Twitter can be abused as can IM and facebook. If all workers are using these “tools” for is to share pics of their weekend parties, and organise their social lives then they are effectively “stealing” time from their employer. And their employer can rightly block that sort of behaviour.</p>
<p>So what is the place of these activities?</p>
<p>At Jethro we actively <strong>require</strong> our staff to use the Messenger, Skype and Twitter accounts. We actively encourage blogging as way of spreading information about what we do. Our blogs and twitter and messenger use is of course partly about our social lives – after all isn’t that part of life? But the critical mass I referred to in the title relates to when the pay off starts to occur. </p>
<p>Recently the <a href="http://www.innovation.gov.au/innovationreview/Pages/home.aspx">Venturous Australia Report</a> was released to the public. It was initially copyrighted and locked down so it couldn’t be commented on. However it has now been freed up somewhat. Fair use allows me to cut snippets and give credit to the author and then create commentary on them. However there is not yet a single place that this debate can occur in. Submissions close in 4 days for panel members – the timeframe is short – too short. But the debates need to be heard. This document has the potential to be a foundation stone paving the ay into the future for Australian business and the economy. Lets not screw it up by appointing boffins with no real world experience. (No disrespect to boffins intended.)</p>
<p>I had made a number of comments on twitter to <a href="http://laurelpapworth.com/">Laurel Papworth</a>, aka <a href="http://silkcharm.blogspot.com/">SilkCharm</a>, who we <a href="http://www.spyjournal.biz/geek_girls/LaurelPapworth">profiled on the geek girl series</a> recently about this document. Then this week I was followed by <a href="http://www.innovationisindustrypolicy.com">John Haining</a>, and then <a href="http://www.bridge8.com.au/_sgg/m3_1.htm">Dr Kristin Alford</a>.</p>
<p>They have been talking about this recommendation from Chapter 10 of the document:</p>
<blockquote><p>Recommendation 10.2: An advisory committee of web 2.0 practitioners should be established to propose and help steer governments as they experiment with Web 2.0 technologies and ideas. At least five substantial experiments should be established in different areas within two years to be evaluated within three. The Minister for Finance and Deregulation should have carriage of the initiative.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>While there are no shortage of “Web 2.0” experts out there, and particularly those I would call leading edge entrepreneurs, people like <a href="http://chrissaad.wordpress.com/">Chris Saad</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/AshleyAngell">Ashley Angell</a> and <a href="http://www.problogger.net/">Darren Rowse</a> there are also plenty of others in the blogosphere who have valid contributions to make. People like <a href="http://blogs.msdn.com/angus_logan/">Angus Logan</a> and <a href="http://www.nickhodge.com/blog/">Nick Hodge</a> from Microsoft, who are helping bring the technology that powers this stuff to us, And then there are the think tank people (like Kristin’s firm <a href="http://www.bridge8.com.au/_sgg/m1_1.htm">Bridge 8</a>) who have explored the concepts of Web 2.0, Enterprise 2.0, and the shifting sand that social networks play in the ever growing information age.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.spyjournal.biz/files/image_76.png"><img title="image" height="470" alt="image" src="http://www.spyjournal.biz/files/image_thumb_79.png" width="590" border="0" /></a> </p>
<p>As the information age gathers momentum countries like Australia are rapidly shifting employment into the service provision industries away from manufacturing and food gathering. See the chart&#160; above showing the expanding sector of Finance, Property and Business Services. How we will become a “Venturous” nation will depend on the environment we create for our workers – and particularly the Y generation people as they come through into the workplace. They are ideally situated to make this happen. Multitasking, widely networked and online connected. Lets make sure that government departments and corporates are encouraged through the use of grants, R&amp;D tax concessions and even “boffin” run university and think tank studies that can explore the relationships, the diversity and the richness that is a connected interverse ( I just made that word up!) How else would I have ever have “met” these people, I met Angus and Nick in real life, Nick through the internet first and Angus from a Microsoft conference but most of the people I follow on twitter I have never met., Some of my staff I have never met! Many of my clients I have never met in real life. Many I meet online and then connect with in real life.</p>
<p>I am a small business. No bones about that. Under $1M turnover so far, though well into 6 figures. I am in a zone for small business that needs help from the government. I want to employ more people, but the employment rules make that hard. I want to spend more time and money on research, I already do personally – about 25% of my time is research. I actively require my staff to spend time on research and pay them to do so. Government assistance in that would be great!. I hope my little voice can be heard on a national stage, represented by the people on the panel.</p>
https://www.spyjournal.biz/twitter-and-critical-mass#commentsInternet TechnologynissocialventurousWeb 2.0https://www.spyjournal.biz/crss/node/920Fri, 26 Sep 2008 01:04:48 +0000jethro920 at https://www.spyjournal.biz